1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reseating a toilet atop a water closet ring having a circular, annular radial flange, a portion of which is missing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the installation of toilets in residential and commercial buildings the waste disposal lines of sewage pipes terminate within the building structure in closet rings that are located at the upper extremities of the vertical terminations of the sewage lines. A closet ring includes a hollow tubular sleeve that is secured about the upper extremity of the sewage line pipe, and a circular, annular radially projecting flange or lip that extends radially outwardly from the tubular sleeve of the closet ring. A wax sealing ring is disposed atop the closet ring, and the toilet fixture is positioned atop the wax ring. Bolts are provided that extend upwardly through preformed bolt openings in the radially extending flange of the closet ring. The heads of the seating bolts bear against the underside of the closet ring flange and the shanks of the bolts extend up through the base of the toilet fixture. Retaining nuts are then threadably engaged on the seating bolt shanks so as to draw the base of the toilet bowl fixture toward the closet ring, thereby compressing the wax seal to form a liquid tight connection.
The bolt apertures in the closet ring flange are frequently formed as arcuate slots, so as to allow selective placement of bolts in different positions about the closet ring flange to accommodate the various bolt spacings in the bases of different toilet bowl fixtures.
Over time it is not at all uncommon for a portion of the closet ring flange to break off from the remaining structure of the closet ring. The flange will typically break at a bolt aperture, since the closet ring flange is weakest at the locations where these apertures are formed, and since the greatest stress is applied to the flange at the bolt apertures. When a portion of the closet ring flange breaks off in this manner, the base of the toilet is no longer firmly seated atop the closet ring. As a result, the seal against the wax ring is imperfect and the base of the toilet bowl fixture lacks stability. This leads to both an unsteadiness of the toilet bowl fixture and also leaking of water from the toilet bowl.
While closet rings can be replaced entirely, this is often a very difficult process. The closet rings are designed to form a permanent part of the plumbing installation and cannot be easily removed from the sewer line terminations to which they are attached. Consequently, various attempts have been made to devise systems for repairing broken water closet ring flanges.
One device which has been utilized is an arcuate spanning device which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,630. This device is a flat arcuately curved section of some rigid material, such as steel or hard plastic and is termed a spanner. The spanner has a central opening therein which is of a width suitable for receiving the shank of a toilet seating bolt. The spanner section is positioned at the gap defined by the missing section of the closet ring flange such that the spanner bridges the gap defined in the closet ring flange with the ends of the spanner bearing against the underside of the closet ring flange on either side of the gap. A seating bolt is disposed with its bolt head against the underside of the spanner flange and is maintained in tension by the retainer nut which bears down on the base of the toilet so as to draw the toilet base and the spanner flange together. Because the ends of the spanner bear upwardly against the remaining structure of the water closet ring flange on either side of the gap therein, the seating bolt ideally remains in tension and the wax sealing ring is maintained in a compressed condition.
As a practical matter, however, certain difficulties in the spanner flange of U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,630 arise. Specifically, the device of that prior patent provides no lateral restraint on the spanner flange. As a consequence, the spanner flange can slip or be pushed radially outwardly so that one or the other of the ends of the spanner flange no longer bears upwardly against the structure of the closet ring flange adjacent the missing section. This can occur when downward pressure is exerted on the base of the toilet fixture, thus reducing the tension on the seating bolt. With no lateral restraint the spanner flange of U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,630 can easily become dislodged from the underside of the flange ring. This is particularly true if the gap to be spanned is substantial.
Other types of water closet rings have been devised to attempt to solve the same problem. However, these other attempts have all involved specially configured water closet rings which are inordinately complex and intricate in design. Due to their complexity these water closet rings having intricate designs are expensive to fabricate and have never gained widespread commercial acceptance.